July 19, 2018

One Orange A Day for Healthy Vision

Photo by Stephanie Studer on Unsplash

It turns out, orange juice is more than just America’s favorite morning beverage! According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers say those who ate at least one orange a day during the study, reduced their risk of developing macular degeneration by 60% compared to those who didn’t. Drink up!

What is Macular Degeneration?

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease and is the leading cause of vision loss, effecting 10 millions Americans. It is caused by the deterioration of the central portion of the retina, the inside back layer of the eye that records the images we see and sends them via the optic nerve from the eye to the brain. The macula is responsible for focusing central vision in the eye.

When the macula of the eye deteriorates, the images are not received correctly, which can lead to wavy or blurred vision and even central vision being lost.

Vitamin C for Healthy Vision

Those plenty of foods contain vitamins and nutrients that benefit eye health, oranges seem to be the best. According to lead study author Bamini Gopinath, PhD, “Flavonoid are powerful antioxidants found in almost all fruits and vegetables, and they have important anti-inflammatory benefits for the immune system. We examined common foods that contain flavonoids such as tea, apples, red wine, and oranges. Significantly, the data did not show a relationship between other food sources protecting the eyes against the disease.”

Researchers concluded that even eating one orange a week correlated with significant benefits, due to its flavonoids.

How to Keep Your Vision Sharp

If you’re like just about everyone else in this digital world, you spend a majority of your day looking at a screen. Whether it is 8-hours at your office job or if you are one of the average Americans who look at your phone 76 times per day, it’s important for you to know that the blue light our screens emit can be harming our vision and eyes.

If you are experiencing blurred or double vision, fatigue, or reoccurring headaches, you may want to visit your optometrist. But there are some quick fixes you can do to support healthy vision.

Limit your screen time. Even if you are stuck working on the computer all day, you can still take a few breaks every once in a while to give your eyes a rest. Make some coffee, hit the restroom to freshen up, or simply close your eyes for a minute to let them rest.
Leafy greens are full of lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidant vital for vision health. Add a high-quality, non-GMO greens blend powder to your smoothie or eat more leafy greens throughout the day to rack up on their vision benefits.
Get a good night’s rest. Put your phone away about an hour before you head to bed to, not only set your body up for a good night’s sleep, but also give your eyes some time to “cool down” from its hard day at work.